Tyronn Lue: The Cavs already 'miss' J.R. Smith -- the 'heart and soul' of the team

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tyronn Lue says the Cavaliers are "in a good place" now that they're together in California for LeBron James' minicamp, save for one thing.

The guys, Lue included, really miss J.R. Smith.

"The biggest thing is we miss J.R. I mean, you can feel it," Lue told cleveland.com in a phone interview from Santa Barbara, Calif., where all but two of Cleveland's main players are working out and congregating at James' invite ahead of the team's official training camp -- which starts in Independence on Monday.

Smith is not with the team for its workouts at the University of California-Santa Barbara. Nor is Mo Williams, who announced on Twitter Wednesday night he would play one more season.

"J.R., he's the heart and soul of team," Lue said. "Usually when it's anything involving the team, J.R. would be there and would be right in the middle of it. You'd hear him laughing or if it's work, he'd be out there giving it his all. It's hard."

Lue's sentiments are precisely the feeling Smith and his agent, Rich Paul, want the Cavs' front office to share. Smith, the starting shooting guard for the last two trips to the Finals, is a free agent and at an impasse over a new contract. At this point, it seems unlikely an agreement will be reached before the Cavs meet the media Monday for the start of camp.

Smith averaged 12.4 points and shot 40 percent from 3-point range (204 made 3s) last season, and in Game 7 of the Finals contributed 12 points -- including two critical third-quarter 3-pointers to help the Cavs battle back from an 8-point deficit.

He, meaning Smith, told Complex.com last week that he hoped to sign a new deal with the Cavs "soon," but also said the offer was such that "we're not where we want to be at from a personal standpoint."

It's believed the two sides are at odds over the length and value of a contract -- he declined an option for more than $5 million this season and could make triple that amount in 2016-17, depending on the years in his new deal.

"I always hope we can get something done sooner than later," Lue said. "He's our starting two guard, and when you look at what he's brought to the team the last two years, it means a lot. He's an outside shooter, obviously, and I believe he's our best defender at guard position."

Lue said the plays most often talked about from the Cavs' triumphant Game 7 over Golden State are James' block of Andre Iguodala, Kyrie Irving's tie-breaking 3-pointer, and Kevin Love's defense of Stephen Curry -- all in the game's closing moments.

But Lue cited Smith's crucial shots at the start of the second half as a prime example of his value to the organization.

"What's not talked a lot about, we're down eight and J.R. hits those 3s," Lue said. "That gave us confidence and momentum go into the toughest part of game.

"J.R.'s been a model citizen in Cleveland, he's a fan favorite, you look at him like your brother."

Lue said he last saw Smith at a surprise 31st birthday dinner for Smith earlier this month in New York.

Lue drove the Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara with assistants Larry Drew and Damon Jones on Tuesday. The workouts and lifting sessions are run by James -- not Lue -- but the coach has seen his players at dinner and breakfast. They're not sitting at the same tables, the coaches and the players, but there's been friendly chit chat.

The support staff (trainers, player development coaches) do attend James' sessions.

"Outside of not having J.R. signed, we're in a great place," Lue said. "Now being the defending world champs, we're gonna have to be better, play better."